


a little bit more than you can take

by akire_yta



Series: supersverse [14]
Category: Bandom, Disney RPF
Genre: Multi, supersverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-07
Updated: 2010-09-07
Packaged: 2018-02-16 10:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2265495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akire_yta/pseuds/akire_yta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mike Carden, Kevin Jonas, Nicole Anderson are secret superheroes, and now they know what Cassadee Pope can do, she's on the team too. Together they fight crime. Mostly. Well, sometimes, anyway. Otherwise known as the sekkrit superheroes AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: mayqueen517 started it and got me hooked on the idea of Nic/Cass in the first place, psuedo_catalyst, wayfarersgirl and solar_cat egged me on, and allyndra came up with their superhero names. Title from The Cab's "Can You Keep A Secret?" This was originally going to be a skippy story, but Cassadee Pope waltzed in and took it over, the little minx.
> 
> I have British spelling, so expect words to retain their original “u’s." Originally posted at: http://sodamnskippy.livejournal.com/135017.html

It started on a tour somewhere in the middle of nowhere, when Cassadee came around the back of the tent, looking for a place to sit in peace and text her sister about how stupid boys were, and came across Mike Carden coming in to land.

(Maybe it started even earlier than that, when Cassadee's parents sat her down and explained as best you can to a three year old that the fact she can lift the family car is their little secret. But her high school English teacher used to like to say that the past is prologue, so she likes to think it started there, standing on the sunburnt grass, watching Mike watch her warily, waiting to see how she would react. She had picked up one of the steel tent pegs that had been dropped on the grass by the roadies, and tied it into a pretty knot with her fingertips. As origin stories go, it's pretty kick-ass.)

Mike relaxed, but Cass didn't miss the way his eyes darted around the ring of tents, looking for any other witnesses. "Just me," she said, and smiled as he nodded, relaxed a little more. "And I won't tell if you won't."

Mike huffed out a long stream of air between his teeth, and Cass could see his brain working as he came to a decision. "Thanks. And, yeah, ditto."

She felt her heart stammer, like her first show, her first tour, her first everything. "I never knew there were others like me....like us,” she said, blushing at the way the words stumble off her tongue.

Mike just grinned at her. “Kid, you ain't seen nothing yet.”

* * *

She knew Kevin Jonas from TV, and the billboards, and the music, and all the other things Disney had plastered his face across. She realized she knew shit when Mike slipped his arm around Kevin's waist, leaning in to drop a kiss on waiting lips. “Kev, _this_ ," he said with careful emphasis, "is Cassadee Pope."

Kevin smiled, his eyes looking into her, through her, like he could see all her secrets. Maybe he could. “Lovely to finally meet you, Cassadee Pope,” he said, and Cass wondered what Mike had told him about her before this introduction. She couldn't shake the feeling that this staged for her benefit, like it's some kind of test, so she was extra, extra careful as she shook his hand, mindful of his fingers, the soft delicacy of skin and tendon and bone, the casual possessiveness of Mike's arm around Kevin's waist. He stared at her, a second too long to be polite, then nodded. “Okay. But Nic needs to have final say,” Kevin murmured to Mike with an apologetic smile at Cassadee.

“Who's Nic?” she asked, feeling like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole.

* * *

“Hihihihi!” Cass has a fleeting tumble of impressions; dark hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, smooth, creamy-coffee skin, huge eyes, tiny hands, birdlike and so breakable. “You must be Cass.” The impressions coalesce to form a girl, maybe a little younger than her, definitely a little bit thinner than her, pretty in an exotic way. “I'm Nic.” She beamed, her eyes sparkling. “Kevin has told me all about you.”

For a split second, Cass was frozen between stalling and running. All her life she had been told that no-one was to know what she can do. Not even her band know how much of a freak she really was. And now three people she barely knew held her secret in their hands, and she has no idea how to get control back.

All this burns through her brain in a split second, but it must have shown on her face because Nic's expression softened into a look of concern. When she smiled again, it's gentler, friendlier, but also more secretive. “Boys are stupid,” she said with quiet authority as she reached out and threaded her fingers into Cassadee's. “And they always do things in the wrong order. Come on,” she added. “Let's go somewhere quiet where we can explain better.”

* * *

Cassadee rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes as Mike came down from where he'd been hovering near the bus ceiling, Kevin rematerialized after several passes through the sofa and bunks, and Nic let go of her telekinetic hold of the ball they'd found crammed between the cushions.

“Hey,” Nic said softly, as Kevin handed her a tissue. “What's wrong?”

“I'm not alone anymore,” she whispered back, bursting into shaky, embarrassed laughter as Nic and Kevin moved as one to sandwich her in a hug.

"We know," Kevin told her, pulling her sideways and pressing a kiss to her hair. Cass leaned willingly into the touch. She'd known these people two days, but it already felt like she's known them a lifetime. "That's why we've got to stick together," he added in a whisper.

She nodded, drying her eyes.

Mike perched on the arm of the tiny bus lounge as Kevin and Nic finally let her go. “There's one other thing you probably ought to know,” he added carefully.

* * *

(She may have flipped through Jersey's comic books and wondered, idly, what it would be like. But the dress code had always put her off.

Apparently, that was the only hard and fast team rule. No Spandex.)

* * *

“How do you even know about this?” The rooftop they're lurking on is a long way from the ground, and Cass leaned back from the edge before vertigo got the better of her. The wind whipped around her, cold and a little gritty, and she turned her back to the breeze. The moonless night had turned the rest of the roof into a shadowy, almost sinister maze of air-conditioning ducts, and she studied the shadows, half expecting them to move. “I mean, seriously. Is there, like, a newsletter? A timetable for crime?” She wrinkled up her nose and tugged at the little domino mask, still unused to wearing it.

Nic batted her hand away from her face. “Leave it. And we have our sources.”

“Such as?” Cass asked snarkily, one hand on her hip.

There was a rapid-fire, silent conversation communicated entirely by meaningful looks and eyebrow waggles. “Ashlee, mainly,” Mike confessed.

She frowned, and fought the urge to tug her mask down again as the movement makes it rub against the bridge of her nose, “Which Ashlee?”

Mike shrugged awkwardly. “You know,” he drawled slowly. “She's married to someone we both know...”

“Oh?” Cass muttered, still confused for a moment. “Oh!” Her mouth formed a perfect O as she slotted it all together. “But how does she...?”

“Precog,” Mike muttered. 'But you didn't hear it from me, okay?”

Nic laughed softly. “She's probably already seen this in a vision she had months ago,” she pointed out reasonably. “There's the mark,” she added, her voice switching over into pure business. Cass turned and ducked down behind Nic, trying to see what she was seeing on the dark streets below. Nic tilted her head around and grinned. “Come on.”

* * *

The mask, the fine knit black cap and leather gloves, the black henley and tight jeans that she wore as her unofficial crime-fighting uniform are kept tucked away in a special little drawstring bag. She never, ever wore those clothes anywhere else, and every time she pulled them on, fumbling the buttons in the dark, trying not to wake her bandmates sleeping in the bus bunks or hotel beds, it sent an electric thrill through her.

This was something special and secret, something that few others could do.

The half moon shone through the open curtains onto the patch of bland hotel carpet between the beds. Barely daring to breathe, she slunk over and pressed her back to the door, running over her mental checklist as she pulled her domino mask over her eyes. The glowing numbers of the clock by the bed ticked over the appointed hour. By now she was familiar with the sensation of disembodied hands grabbing her shoulders and pulling her backwards _through_ the thick hotel door, but it never failed to leave her breathless.

She grinned at Kevin and he grinned back at her from beneath his mask. (Nic hated phasing, said it left her telekinesis glitchy, and Mike always looked vaguely nauseous whenever Kevin dragged him through something, but Cass secretly looked forward to it. It was like, just for a second, being in a world of your own, untouchable and safe.)

Kevin took her hand, warm even through the gloves they both wore, and she felt the small hairs on the back of her neck twitch as he extended his power over her, rendering them both invisible to anything short of the most direct scrutiny.

She had to bite down on the urge to laugh as, hand in hand, they ran for the stairs and their next adventure.

* * *

Cassadee pushed gently through the crowds, moving sinuously through the packed room towards the beacon that was Bill Beckett holding court. She sidled into the ring of people and winked at Mike. “You look bored.”

“I am bored,” he fired back.

She stood and listened for a moment; Bill seems to be defending the honour of squid to an incredulous Sisky, who was passionately defending mollusks. “Wanna go get a drink?”

“ _Fuck_ yes,” Mike sighed with feeling.

They cleared a space for themselves at the far corner of the bar with a neat combination of Mike's glare and Cassadee's discreet elbow jabs. Holding their bruised ribs, the techs grudgingly gave them some room. In perfection synchronization, they tossed back their shots in one smooth movement before settling in over their beers.

Cass had barely taken the head off it before Mike sighed. “I miss KJ,” he muttered.

She laughed at him. “You miss the sex.”

Mike shrugged. “That too. But I miss him. Fuck,” Mike took a long pull from his beer, draining it almost halfway. “I'm getting soppy in my old age.”

Cass leaned into him, briefly resting her head on his shoulder in quiet solidarity. “You've found someone, stop bitching,” she told him, taking a swig to wash away the taste of loneliness.

William was suddenly _there_ , leaning over Mike's other shoulder to wave down the bartender. "I hope Mr. Carden here is being a gentleman, young lady," he said sternly, peering down at Cassadee. "He is spoken for," he added archly.

Cass giggled as Mike scowled. "She knows KJ, Bills," he said with a heavy tone of resignation.

William fixed Cassadee with a stare that went on a few beats too long to be comfortable. "Oh really," he drawled at last. "Has your beloved finally decided to let you out of Narnia," William added pointedly as he turned to Mike.

Mike's expression grew stormy. "Bill," he said sharply. " _We_ are not declaring anything publically, so don't go there." He fiddled with his glass, twisting it in circles on the bar. "Cass is a friend."

Cass felt her guts tighten as William looked her over speculatively. "I'm best friends with Nic," she blurted out.

William beamed like a sunrise. "Oh, _Nicole_ ," he said in relief. "Of course. Mike's favourite boy's favourite girl."

Mike's jab got there first. By the way William gasped, Cass could tell Mike hadn't pulled the punch. "Fuck off, Bill," Mike told him mildly, but Cass could see the tension back around Mike's eyes.

William tossed some cash on the counter and picked up his beer. "Has Nic or Kevin told you how they met?" William asked Cass, ignoring the way Mike hunched over the bar. "No? Try and get the story, and then tell me. I've got money riding on there being a unicorn involved." Laughing loudly, William disappeared back into the crowd before Cass could respond.

Cass turned back to Mike. "Do they know about...you know?"

Mike shook his head and nodded meaningfully at the bartender towards his empty glass. "The other stuff? No."

She waited until the bartender has been and gone. "So how did you two meet? I don't think I've ever heard the story."

Mike wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Well, there were no unicorns," he said, making her laugh. "But, it, umm...it involved the other stuff," he added more quietly. "So William and the guys won't ever know. Ever."

"Okay," Cass said softly. A crowded bar wasn't the time to ask for that story. But later was another matter. "But you do know how lucky you are, right? Having someone you don't have to hide...the other stuff from."

Mike glanced sideways at her and Cass had the distinct impression he was trying not to laugh at her. But before she could press him on it, Jersey and Alex were barreling into her, laughing and stumbling drunk already, and Cass had to let it go.

For now.

* * *

Cassadee and Nicole tumbled into the dressing room, breathing hard. “Shit,” Cass giggled. “I was sure we were busted.”

“Come on,” Nic muttered, tugging Cass's knit cap off with a gesture, making it fly across the room to land neatly in Cass's open bag. “Quick, before anyone else sees us.”

“What did you do to him, anyway?” Cass asked as she slipped off her domino mask and started plucking at the fingers of her gloves.

Nic shrugged as she tugged out her ponytail. With her hair down and her mask off, she looked unremarkable. (That was the best thing about no special costumes, Cassadee had decided long ago – easy to make a quick change getaway, no phone booth stripping required. Though she was still pretty sure she could rock a cape.) “If I'm touching someone,” Nic said quickly, like she just wanted to let the subject go. “I can sometimes read surface thoughts, nothing deep. And if I get into someone's head quick enough, I can make them ignore what they thought they saw before it hits long term memory.” She shrugged self-depreciatingly. “I'm not very good at it, but it sometimes works as a last resort.” She flashed a grin. “Like making a security guard forget he saw two girls sneaking into a Jonas' dressing room.”

Cass blinked. “That's...pretty fucking cool actually,” she admitted as she folded the gloves around each other to form a neat ball. “All I do is hit people.”

Nicole beamed at her. “Ah, but you do it with such style.” She turned away to paw at the colourful pieces of cloth hanging off a hook behind the door and tossed a scarf over her shoulder with a jaunty flourish. “There, I'm sure KJ won't mind loaning me this.” She took a deep breath. “Now I just need to get back to my dressing room before anybody finds me. Are you staying here or....” she cuts herself off at the crisp sound of high heels marching quickly down the corridor towards them.

Cassadee reacted first, pushing Nic backwards into the open closet and swinging the door shut behind them. She heard Nic draw breath to speak and silenced her with a finger over Nic's lips at the _rat-tat-tat_ of a cursory knock followed by a sound of the outer door being flung open. “Boys?” an older female voice called out.

Cass felt Nic stiffen slightly in her arms. Barely daring to breathe, Cass listened to the visitor futz around the dressing room for a few minutes. Through touch alone, she could tell that Nic was getting agitated – she had a call soon, it was stupid of them to have gone racing off on a mission, but the chance to foil an actual jewel heist had been just too perfect to pass up.

Luckily, after another minute, they both heard the click of heels pass by their hiding place and out the door, and the flatter click of the door closing punctuating the noise of her departure.

Nic breathed out, but neither of them made a move to open the door. Cass was suddenly, acutely aware of the warm softness of Nicole in her arms, and she cleared her throat awkwardly. “Um, yeah, come on.”

The closet door swung open silently before she could touch it, and Cass glanced back at Nic. Most of the time, she's was cool with the fact that Nic could move things with her mind, but sometimes, some small thing just threw her off balance for a second. She tried to shake it off as she stepped out of the closet.

“Having fun, ladies?”

Cass yelped as Kevin faded into view in front of her. He held up his hands apologetically. “Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to startle you.” But he was grinning. Cass poked her tongue out at him and went to zip up her bag so she didn't have to answer.

Behind her, she heard a gentle slap and Kevin's exaggerated 'ow.' “Be grateful she didn't take a swing at you, she could have knocked that pretty head clean off,” Nic warned with a laugh.

“Aw, Cassadee wouldn't do that, she loves me,” Kevin shot back lightly.

“For my sins, and they must be many and awesome,” Cassadee told him airily as she straightened up and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Usual exit?”

Kevin nodded as he snatched up his costume tie from the dressing table. “Nic, I'll see you on set.”

For some reason, it was hard to look Nic in the eye as she leaned in to hug Cass goodbye. It was a strange disappointing relief to turn away and step into Kevin's embrace.

They walked through rooms like they were dancing a strange kind of waltz as, around them, half a dozen different lives flickered past in a kaledascope of colour and sound. Cass made a face as they come to a stop in the service corridor that fed onto the loading dock for the soundstage. “I never want to see Sterling Knight naked again, ever.”

Kevin looked like he'd sucked on a lemon. “Agreed. You going to be okay?”

She rolled her eyes. “I've done this, like, a dozen times, I've got it down pat.”

Kevin didn't let go of his grip on her shoulders. “I meant about whatever that was with Nic back there.”

She summoned up a smile and almost managed to look him in the eye. “What thing? Listen, you need to get to set, and I need to get out of here.” She pushed up onto her tiptoes to pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Remember, pizza, my place, 7pm.”

The last thing she saw was him snapping a salute before he faded from view.

* * *

Cass saw her expression mirrored on Nic's face as the waiter put down three beers and a fruity cocktail on their table, and Mike muttered a thanks in broken high school Spanish. Through the umbrellas jutting out of the glass, Cass saw Nic sigh and roll her eyes as she delicately reached out with her fingertips and slid the glass across the table to Kevin, claiming his beer in return. “I think that's mine and this monstrocity is yours.”

Kevin grinned, unapologetic, as he caught the straw and took a sip.

Mike was staring in horror. “I can't believe I even know someone who orders that shit, let alone dates them. We're in Mexico, you order beer or tequila, not...” he made a face at Kevin's drink. "That."

Kevin's grin got wider, and Cass had to cover her mouth with her hand. It was so easy to forget how evil Kevin could be. “It has _cherries,_ Mike," Kevin said, all but fluttering his eyelashes. "Cherries and umbrellas! No drink that has cherries and umbrellas can be bad.”

Mike groaned and slumped back against the padded curved wall of the booth. “I hate you.”

Cass couldn't hold back her stupid grin as Kevin put one of the cherries between his teeth and leaned over, one hand resting on Mike's shoulder for balance. Mike rolled his eyes, but Cass saw his smile before he leaned in and kissed Kevin, taking the cherry. He sat back, chewing thoughtfully for a moment. “This is going to taste like shit when mixed with beer, isn't it?”

Nic patted his arm. “I know how to fix that.” She stood up leaned on the top of the booth partition as she waved down a passing waiter.

A few shots later, Cass was feeling something slightly south of tipsy. She shook her head as the waiter came around again, ordered a water instead. She had to concentrate to hold the plastic bottle; this was why she didn't go out drinking much, was always the designated driver in her band. She could never, ever lose control. She stared at her fingers, getting the feel for not crushing the flimsy bottle as she carefully put it back on the table.

“Mike,” Nic was saying with exaggerated patience as Kevin patted Mike's wrist. “Friends don't let friends fly drunk.”

Mike pouted like a six year old and Nic fell off her chair laughing.

In the end, Cass had to carry her to the curb and pour her into a cab, careful not to make it look as easy as it was. Nic sprawled in the backseat, her leg over Cass's knee, her head craned at an uncomfortable angle against the window. “Do you think Mike and KJ are getting it on in the back of their cab right now?”

“No!” Cass protested with a laugh, eyes darting nervously over to the driver. “And I'd rather not think about my friends having sex, thank you.”

“Oh come on,” Nic giggled, leaning forward to drape both her arms around Cass's shoulders. Nic's breath was hot and smelt of alcohol as it puffed against her cheek. “You can't tell me you haven't thought about how hot the two of them must look together.”

Cassadee made a vaguely croaking noise, and Nic's head dropped to Cass's shoulder. “I like you, Cass,” she slurred quietly. “You make me feel safe again.”

She was snoring before Cass could reply.

* * *

“Hey, wait, go back.” Cass looked up from her carton of vegetarian fried rice as Kevin and Mike wrestled briefly over the remote, finally getting it back onto the news channel.

“...reports say that four masked figures appeared from nowhere and stopped the robbery in progress. This is not the first crime scene where witnesses have seen these masked would-be heroes, but police have issued a statement saying they will not tolerate vigilanteism in our city. Back to you in the studio.”

Cass poked at her rice. “We're not...I mean... _vigilante?_ ”

Mike snorted and reached for the sweet and sour pork. “You did notice how they very carefully didn't say anything about flying people or anything?”

Kevin's chopsticks snapped out, passing through the cardboard container and re-emerging with a juicy piece of meat. Mike scowled as Kevin popped it in his mouth and chewed before answering. “Probably didn't want to sound crazy.”

“Stop that,” Mike told him, trying to bat Kevin's chopsticks away. Kevin grinned as he phased them through to steal another tasty morsel. “Fuck you then,” Mike said mildly, drifting up off the couch to float, cross-legged, up near the light fixture.

“Spoilsport,” Kevin muttered with a grin as he reached for the noodles. “Come back down, I'll stop. It's weird talking to your feet.”

Mike drifted serenely back down onto the couch, and Cass grinned into her rice. This was her _life_. “I wonder what they know about us?” she asked quietly.

Kevin winked at her. “We could probably find the name of whoever is investigating the robbery in the papers, and, uh, take a little visit to their offices?”

Mike's head flopped onto the back of the couch. “You're proposing breaking into a police station, and _I'm_ supposed to be the bad influence?”

Kevin patted his knee in silence consolation. “It's okay, we know you're awesome,” he said sincerely and Cass couldn't help but nod in agreement.

* * *

“Are you near a computer?”

Cass reached over and pulled out her laptop. “I am now. What am I looking up.”

She could hear Nic's smile down the line. “Sending you a link.”

Cass dutifully clicked. “What am I looking at?” she asked as the page loaded. The wifi in her mother's house was so slow. She watched the cursor tumble and spin.

“Wait and see. How's the family?”

Cass couldn't hide her smile. “Awesome. They're....holy shit!”

Nic giggled. “I take it you're looking at what I'm looking at.”

Cass swallowed around the lump in her throat. “A superhero fansite?”

“A real-life superhero fansite,” Nic corrected her smugly. “Starring us. Check it out, they gave us cool names and everything. Why didn't we think of giving ourselves cool names?”

Cass forced herself to breathe through her nose, deep cleansing breaths that kept her from crushing her phone. “That's _so_ not good. What if they figure out who we are, I mean, it's not like people don't know what we look like normally, especially you and KJ.” Nic dismissed her with a rude noise, and suddenly Cassadee was angry in a way she hasn't let herself get since she was four and kicked that hole in the brick wall. “Nic, I'm serious. This is really bad.”

Nic sighed, sounding put upon. “Cassadee,” she said patronizingly. “There are two photos on the entire site, and both are blurry night time cell phone pics taken of stuff happening a dozen stories into the air. It's not like we're stopping for autographs.”

The plastic case of the phone creaked in distress. “I've gotta go, later,” Cass snapped, cutting off the call and dropping the phone before she gave into the urge to throw it through the wall.

She took another deep breath and started clicking. There were pages of discussion forums, sighting reports, even one of those fucking interactive map thingies. Cass bit her lip and hoped like hell no-one has the bright idea to compare it to Warped tour dates or Disney concert venues.

When she was fifteen and properly emo, she'd once scared herself into nightmares coming up with a list of all the things that could happen to her if anyone found out what she could do. That same old terror was creeping over her now, tightening her chest, making the air thick and heavy.

Her phone buzzed, and she opened the text on autopilot. _~r u ok? im sorry~_

She closed her eyes, composing herself before answering. Nic picked up on the first ring. “I'm sorry,” she repeated before Cass could say a word. “You're right. I mean, why else do we wear gloves and masks and have exit strategies and all that.”

“And you were right,” Cass conceded. “They don't have any real photos, or even any real descriptions of us. And they seem to only heard of maybe a quarter of our other gigs.”

Nic giggled, and something rights itself. Cass relaxed back onto the cushions as she switched the phone to her other ear to free up her mousepad hand. “Is it just me, or did we just totally sound like Mike and KJ finishing one of their silly little arguments?”

Cass grinned. “We haven't had make-up sex yet, so I don't think that counts.”

“Tease,” Nic purred, and Cass felt something inside her twist up. She pushed the feeling away. “What are you looking at?”

“Your fan thread, Nic,” Cass told her with a laugh. “Or should that be _Twister_?”

“Ha ha,” Nic said drily. “Sorry, not everyone can have such an awesome name as the Valkyrie.”

Cass scrolled down the forums in sheer disbelief. “Nic, we have _superhero groupies_.”

“I _know_!” Nic sounded almost giddy. “Read the bits where they argue with the guys saying we can't really be doing what they think we're doing – the most popular theory seems to be we're stage magicians.”

Cass nearly choked on thin air. “What?”

“Or engineers or something,” Nic continued on blithely. “There's all these disjointed bits and pieces, and no-one can agree on what they saw, except that it was awesome,” she added loftily. “Go find the thread where the guys who do abseiling are explaining how to get around the building by free climbing and ropework.”

Cass snorted as she clicked through links. “Or, you know, have a guy who can walk through walls.”

“That too. Listen, I have to go back to set. Are you okay with this?”

She stared at the screen for a long time. “Yeah,” she said at last. “I think I am. I mean," she drawled, trying to get the ideas in her head in order. "It's, like, plausible deniability, isn't it. What, you believe everything you read on the internet?”

“Exactly,” Nic said, a note of triumph colouring her tone. “Talk to you soon, sweetie," she rattled off. "Love you, bye.”

“Love you too,” Cass told the dial tone. “Bye.”

* * *

(Cass maybe spent the next few hours tabbing through links off wikipedia. By the time her mother called her down for dinner, she'd decided that valkyries are actually pretty fucking awesome.)

* * *

She and Kevin walked together, synchronized and silent, through the lines of police ringing the building. She felt the tingle of the barricade as it passed through her belly and then they were walking across the exclusion zone and through the doors into the lobby.

Kevin didn't let go of her hand as they stopped before the firedoor. At Cass's little nudge, he pointed to a small sign in the wall next to the door. _Fire Escape: Door Alarmed._

Cass made some complicated gestures with her free hand. Kevin scowled, but stuck his head through the sign, then through the wall on the other side of the door, tugging her in and through into the landing of the stairwell. “Okay,” he said softly.

Cass flexed her fingers. “The hostages are on the second floor, right?”

Kevin nodded, already craning his head to look up the stairwell. “Yeah. I think they're trusting the alarm to alert them to people coming this way.”

Cass glanced at the back of the door, weighted with the heavy alarm mechanism that would be triggered if someone opened it, or disrupted the signal – say, by phasing through it. They'd learned what phasing did to sensitive electronics the hard way. “Hope Nic figures it out.”

Kevin was grinning when she turned back around, already halfway up the first flight of stairs. “I think that's them now, so I'm guessing yes.”

There was no teasing, no banter as they regrouped on the second floor landing. Nic merely nodded at their arrival before turning and extending her hand, focusing her power to push open the latch without letting the pins drop and sound the alarm. Cass slipped through first, fists balled and ready, but the corridor was empty.

They fanned out carefully, moving smoothly towards the western side of the building where the police reports they had overheard outside had told them was where the hostages were being held.

Cass made it to the corner first, and immediately flung herself back around the corner, back to the wall. “Cameras,” she mouthed.

Kevin gave her a thumbs up before vanishing from sight. Seconds later, she heard him softly call “all clear.” She couldn't see him; the camera however was smoking slightly, dribbling sparks. She grinned coldly and continued on down the hall. Sometimes, the thing about electronics and phasing came in handy.

The first guy surprised her; in the comics and the films, if a bad guy was coming out of the john and walked into the ambush, it was played for comic effect.

This guy just took a swing at her, immediate and terrifyingly, exhilaratingly real. She caught his fist almost as a reflex action, squeezing just enough to make him pale and groan. His free hand was fumbling at his belt and Cass lashed out instinctively. Her booted foot made a slightly squishy sound as it impacted, and Cass was sure she heard something deep inside his torso go _crack_. He went white as a sheet and crumpled to the ground, howling in agony.

Suddenly, there were bad guys everywhere, coming out of the surrounding offices and filling the halls. Some were holding files, and Cass realized the hostage situation was part of something larger.

Then the man nearest her was pulling a gun out of his waistband, his eyes on Nic, and Cass let reaction take over. She grabbed his arm in both hands and twisted a vicious indian burn, feeling the bone splinter and break. As he dropped the gun, she twisted her hips and threw him into the wall hard enough to shatter the plaster.

She turned back in time to see Nic stride forward, hands held loosely out in front at her, arms bent at the elbow. Their attackers tumbled away from her, literally blown off their feet by the strength of the field she was generating.

Nic stopped at the end of the now empty corridor, silent save for the quiet pained groans of the guy Cass left curled up on the floor. As Cass glanced back at him, he lifted his head and looked at her. “It's you – the Valkyrie!” he gasped, eyes wide, before his head flopped back onto the institutional carpet as the pain finally chased him into unconsciousness.

Cass blinked, grinned to herself, and trotted down the corridor to regroup with Nic and Mike and Kevin. Mike and Nic were having a whispered argument. “...mean, thanks for the assist and all, but I had the guy.”

Nic shrugged, abashed beneath her mask. “Sorry,” she said apologetically. “I was kinda in the zone.”

Cass shook her head. “Can we just free the hostages and get out of here? I've got a bad feeling.”

Kevin nodded and phased out. A few seconds later, the door they were in front of clicked open. Kevin's disembodied voice whispered “Two guards.”

Cass waved Nic and Mike back with one hand, and held out her other towards the voice. She felt Kevin's fingers take hers as his power flowed over her. If the two guards were surprised to see a girl materialize in front of them, she didn't give them time to express an opinion. She punched one right in the nose, blood splattering across her knuckles as he went backwards like a tree. The other one ran into her boot and promptly dropped to his knees and started throwing up. She tapped the back of his skull with two fingers as she passed, and gently toed him over until he wasn't at least lying unconscious in a pool of his own vomit.

(She was a rock star; she knew how that story ended.)

The hostages didn't need to be told twice. The last one out the door paused, touching her elbow respectfully as his eyes searched her masked face. “Thank you,” he whispered before he dashed after the others. Cass glanced around the room one last time before following them out the door, her mind already racing ahead to exit strategies.

The sound of the gunshot almost didn't register at first; it was too loud, too close, too unreal. She blinked, staring uncomprehendingly at the third figure standing next to a partition that must have concealed a door. Cass stared blankly as he raised his gun again.

The tingle of phasing raced over her skin almost in synchronization with the recoil of the gun. Cass _felt_ the bullet pass through her ribs even as the gunman was lifted up by invisible hands and sent hurling through the window, disappearing in a shower of glass.

“Shit, she's bleeding!” Cass dreamily looked down at where Kevin's hands were clamped over her arm. The sight of blood, _her_ blood, snapped her back into reality, and with it came an incredible burning sense of pain.

“Holy shit!” she gasped.

“Pressure,” Nic ordered, her voice bordering on hysterical. “Here,” she added, her fingers fumbling off her belt. Cass whimpered as Nic wrapped it around Cass's arm and pulled it tight.

“Move,” Mike snapped, scooping her up into a honeymooners lift. Cass curled up as tightly as she could manage into his chest as she felt his body shift and tilt into flight. She'd flown with Mike before, short joyrides and the occasional lift to the top of a building. But she'd never flown this fast. Cass closed her eyes as doors and passageways flickered past. The sound of the fire alarm added to the her confusion, and she felt Mike slow to nudge them gently through a door before the world tilted upwards. Another door and they were soaring into the cool blue sky.

Cass clung to Mike with her good arm as her blood soaked them both.

* * *

She woke slowly to the sound of whispers. “She was _shot,_ Mike.”

“Exactly. If we take her to hospital, they'll want to know why and how. It was just a graze, she was damn lucky. I've got it wrapped up.”

“She might need stitches, or antibiotics.”

“Or water,” Cass croaked. Instantly they were by her side. Kevin opened a bottle of water, and angled the straw between her lips.

“How do you feel,” Nic asked gently, curling up against Cass' unhurt side.

Cass blinked at the ceiling as she took stock of herself. “Okay.” She frowned. “Itchy. What happened.”

Nic's eyes were dark circles in her pale face. “You were _shot_ ,” she whispered, horrified.

Cass sighed. “I meant after that.”

She listened as Mike stuttered out the full story, the way he'd flown her in full daylight out of the building, getting them clear of the cops before sneaking them here. “Is it too tight?” Mike asked her suddenly, breaking into the flow of his own story.

“Huh?” Cass asked, looking down to see her free hand picking at the edge of the bandages. “No, it's just really itchy.”

She couldn't have missed Kevin's terrified expression as Mike started unwinding the bandage. Cass took a deep breath, preparing herself for the worst as he carefully peeled off the blood soaked gauze. “Huh.”

The was not what she was expecting to hear. “What?” Not waiting for an answer, she tugged her arm out of his grip and craned her neck to try and get a better view.

There was dried blood on her skin, which looked shiny and raw, and a thin ragged line, like an oversized cat scratch, running horizontally across her bicep. There was nothing there that would have justified so much blood. “I thought you said I was shot,” she said, confused.

“You were,” Nic said blankly. “Last night that was...ick.”

Cass held up her arm pointedly.

Kevin caught her flailing wrist and tugged her back down until she was settled on the bed once more. “Cass,” he said with careful calm and a pointed look at Mike. “We know you're strong, but...do you have any other abilities.”

Cass opened her mouth to protest – and froze. “Oh,” she said at last. _”Oh.”_


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

It was the leading news story. They sat protectively around Cassadee and watched the footage of the hostages rushing out, the grim expressions on the police as they supervised the ambulance crews ferrying out figures on stretchers.

(There was a long, lingering shot of a white-shrouded figure on the pavement, surrounded by crime scene tape and fragments of plate glass. Nic's face was blank when Cass glanced over, but her fingers gripped tightly around Cassadee's good hand.)

The reporter was nodding seriously down the lens. “The hostages say that they were released by the four masked figures who have been the subject of much speculation in both the media and law enforcement. Though the identities of these four are still unknown, internet forums have taken to referring to the four as Crash, Twister, Valkyrie and Sideslip, and we have heard that investigators are also using these names in lieu of confirmed identities.”

Kevin kissed Mike's shoulder as Mike made a disgruntled noise. “Crash? Seriously? I trip over a railing one time and I get labelled fucking Crash?” He made a face. "Like to see them land on a fucking doorstep in a fucking gale."

Cass hushed him as the reporter continued over video of guys in white paper coveralls kneeling on the sidewalk. “Though these four have been attributed with foiling a number of major crimes, this is the first death attributed to the group.”

The screen cut to an older, heavy-set man in a policeman's uniform, looking harrassed by the microphones being shoved in his face. “We are not releasing the victim's name until we have confirmed identity with next of kin, but we can confirm that it was one of the hostage-takers in this situation who was thrown out the window to his death. This is why we will not tolerate vigilantes in our city – they are just as bad as the criminals they claim to be against, and it's only a matter of time until an innocent bystander gets caught in the crossfire.”

Nic pulled the remote over from across the room as the reporter threw it back to the studio. The television buzzed and fell silent.

“Nic?” Kevin asked softly.

She looked up, and her eyes were blazing. “He tried to kill you both,” she said fiercely. “So I'm not sorry.” She sniffed but didn't look away.

Cass didn't know what to say. Mike's arm brushed her hair as he reached out behind her and gripped Nic's shoulder. “Action and reaction,” he said softly but with conviction. “I would have done _exactly_ the same thing.” Cass leaned into Nic, not surprised to see that Mike was looking at Kevin.

Kevin caught Mike by the back of the neck and pulled him in, kissing him, hard and desperate. It should have been weird, this close, but it wasn't. She felt Nic lean into her even as she reached out to catch Kevin's free hand, sealing the pact.

Cass turned her face into Nic's shoulder. “Thank you,” she mumbled into the fabric of Nic's shirt. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

* * *

Cass looked up with a smile as Kevin handed her a cup of coffee before sitting down next to her on the step. Over the walls of the courtyard, they could hear a dog barking, children yelling, the low rumble of a car starting and a more distant noise of traffic on the main road.

They sat in companionable silence as the dusk drew in around them. She didn't look around as she caught, out of the corner of her eye, Kevin trying to discreetly look at her bare arm. “It's fine now, thanks for not asking.”

Kevin gave up on discretion. “Three days ago, you were shot, Cass. And now there's not so much as a bruise. How did you not know you could do that?”

Cass rolled her eyes at the sunset. “It's not like I make a habit of dodging bullets, KJ,” she told him with exasperated fondness. “I've never broken a bone, or anything.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “Some of us aren't accident prone,” she added, smiling to take out the sting.

Kevin laughed, scuffing the toe of his sneaker through the dirt that had accumulated on the bottom step. “Yeah, well I solved that one by just falling through things rather than over them,” he mumbled.

Cass swirled the dregs of her coffee around the bottom of her mug. “Is...is that how you found out you were...you know?” she asked hesitantly.

Kevin made a face. “Something like that.” He took a deep breath. “I was just a kid, maybe even younger than Frankie is now. We were playing hide and seek after church one day, a big bunch of us. I was running away, looking for a place to hide, and I...” he ducked his head, grinning at himself. “I always was a klutz. So I'm kind of skidding towards this wall, thinking that this was going to hurt, and then I was through the wall and in the back of one of the store rooms.” He tapped his ring finger against the curve of his mug, making a dull chinking noise. “I didn't phase again for years, had half-convinced myself that I'd dreamt the whole thing, then I started waking up under my bed, and I kinda put two and two together.”

Cass couldn't wipe the little smile off her face as he looked over at her. “It's okay, Kevin,” she said as poe-faced as she could. “Lots of young boys have trouble with noctural positions.”

Kevin's jaw dropped and he huffed in breathless laughter. “Oh, oh, Cassadee Pope!” he exclaimed, leaning in against her. “The pun police are coming for you for that one.”

“Don't be a hater,” she teased. The darkness was closing in now, shrinking the world to the little puddle of light spilling out through the open door. Apart from the distant hum of traffic and the chirp of cicidas, everything was quiet. “Kev,” she asked softly.

“Mmm?” Kevin hummed, never lifting his head from where it had fallen to rest on her shoulder.

“What did you tell your family when you realized what you could do?”

She felt Kevin stiffen slightly against her, a tiny muscular tic that gave him away. “I...didn't?” he said, his voice sliding upwards, making his statement a question. She stared at him in surprise as he straightened up. “Your family knows about you?”

Cass shrugged, not sure why she was feeling embarrassed all of a sudden. “I powerlifted the family car before I made it to gradeschool. I think they knew something was up.” She thought about it for a moment. “We never told my sister, though. But, wait, I thought your family was, like, superclose? They really don't know?”

She realized a second too late she'd hit a nerve. Kevin's face was closed as he turned away, dumping the cold remains of his coffee on the stubby grass. “It was...there was a lot going on, by the time I realized that this was a part of me. Nick, and that first record, and...a lot of stuff,” he finished vaguely. “I didn't want to bother them.” He stood up, held out his hand to help her to her feet.

“You've never told them? Really?” Cass was shocked, if she was being honest with herself.

Kevin shrugged with an easy grin. “I never told anyone, until Mike.”

Cass bit her lip. “What about them? Do you know if Nic or Mike have ever told anyone else about...you know?”

Kevin glanced nervously at the house. “Listen,” he said quietly but with urgency. “Nic...she'll probably be okay to talk to you about this, she'd tell you anything if you asked, but promise me you won't ask Mike about how he found out he could...y'know. Please?”

“Why?” she asked automatically before blushing. “I mean, if you can...”

Kevin shook his head sadly. “Not my story to tell. And it's not exactly a nice story. Just,” he patted her shoulder fondly. “Let sleeping dogs lie, okay? Come on, let's go inside.”

* * *

Cass couldn't believe they were having this argument.

“No! Don't you get it?" Nic was arguing fiercely. We can't do this any more! Cass could have died!”

“Cass can make her own choices,” she spat back, arms crossed. “Yeah, okay,” she continued before Nic could fire another salvo. “Maybe we need to take things a little more seriously, tac vests, whatever. But we've been doing good things,” she pleaded. She'd been remembering, in her dreams, the pure gratitude on the man's face as he thanked her. “If we weren't there, who else might that guy have shot? And they can't phase like Kevin or heal like I apparently can,” she added with a self-effacing little shrug.

“So what?” Nic demanded. “We just go in and let them take potshots until we discover something you _can't_ recover from? No,” she spat with a fierce shake of her head. “I won't allow that!”

Cass's eyes narrowed. “ _You_ won't _allow_ that?” she hissed.

Nic didn't back down. “It'd be stupid to go out now! The police are looking for us, there's a _reward_ for information about _Valkyrie_. If you put on your mask, you may as well go downtown and say 'arrest me!'”

Cass scoffed at her, arms folded tightly across her chest. "They've never so much as gotten close to us before," she sneered.

Nic's stilled. "That's because we've never killed anyone before," she said quietly.

The tension poured out of the room, leaving painful, empty silence in its wake. "Nic," Cass whispered, her heart breaking all over again.

Nic shook her head. "It's okay, I'm okay, really," she said, arms crossed over her belly, shoulders hunched. "But my point stands. They're hunting us." She took a deep breath. "And if they catch us, how long do you think it will take them to figure out who we are, and broadcast it across the evening news?" She looked from Cass to Mike to Kevin. "What then?"

Cass saw Kevin glance at Mike and shrug. Mike nodded. In a look the decision was made. As one, they turned back to Cass.

"What?" she said, rallying the last of her defenses. "So, what, we just give up? Just like that?"

"At least until the worst of the attention's off us," Kevin said, tone conciliatory even as he was shaking his head. "Then we can think about, about tac vests or something."

Cass sucked at her tooth, trying to stave off the burning pressure building behind her eyes. "This can't be how it ends," she whispers.

"Aw," Nic said, her icy composure evaporating. "No, no, not the end," she murmured, stepping in to gather Cass into her arms. "Hiatus to our superhero-ing, but that's it. You're still my best friend."

Cass let her eyes slid close as she felt Mike and Kevin join them, their longer arms engulfing her and Nic between them. "And we're still going to eat take out and drink beer and keep each other sane on tour," Mike added.

"We're all we've got," Kevin finished.

Cass wanted to believe him; she wasn't sure she could.

* * *

Cass tried to forget the thrill of sneaking out at three am, of foiling a jewel heist, of the tingle of phasing through a wall or the of the satisfying crunch of smacking someone down, letting her strength flow without remorse or regret.

(But she always did have a good memory.)

If her family or her boys noticed anything, they didn't say, and Cass managed to pretend long enough to get through the day. She didn't watch the news, didn't look at the headlines, didn't even stay in the room if her parents started talking about local events. As the days passed, it got a little easier to keep it all reigned in. It was a little harder to lie to herself when it was three am and she was still in her pajamas, with no plans to go anywhere.

(She wrote so much in those hours between midnight and dawn, but only showed her boys maybe a quarter of it. Butch Walker had caught a glimpse of the notebook she had filled with lyrical snatches and fragments of chords, but he didn't say anything, just nodded to himself and turned away to strum a guitar while Cass sorted her papers and slipped her diary back into her backpack. He never asked, and she never offered. If there were songs in those pages, they were ones still too raw to sing.)

Nic and Kevin were out in LA, filming the new season of their tv show, and sometimes Kevin would send her cellphone pics of random shit; a vase on a table, the rubber duckies in the pool. Once he sent a photo of Nic, taken low. Nic was smiling at someone outside the frame, the hot LA sun making the air around her glow. "She misses you," Kevin texted.

Cass crushed her coke can in her fingers so she wouldn't take it out on her phone, and didn't reply.

Mike was back in Chicago, preparing for their next album, their big tour. He always seemed to know when to call, the cascade of beeps that was his ring tone always shattering the darkness when three am got to be too much.

 

"You're not the only one," he told her once, and in the background Cass had heard the faint strum of an unplugged guitar. "We all miss it."

Cass closed her eyes and strummed back an open chord. "But you can still take a midnight joy ride, and Kevin can stroll wherever he wants, and Nic can juggle while sitting on her hands, but what can I do, Mike?" Under her fingertips, the E-string squealed in protest and snapped.

"Well, you can start by not taking it out on your instrument," Mike said mildly.

Cass growled, low in her throat.

"We'll think of something, Cass. We're still a team, even if it doesn't feel much like it now. Just, just hang in there, okay kid?"

"Goodnight," she snapped and hung up.

She got up and went to find a spare E-string. There wasn't much else she could do.

* * *

(Cass wondered if this was what going mad felt like.)

* * *

Cass slipped out of her bedroom on silent feet, feeling her heart race. Breathing shallowly, hands loosely clenched into fists, she crept towards the kitchen and the muted sound of somebody moving around. Just as she crossed the threshold, the fridge door opened, casting a pool of light across the battered linoleum. "Nic?" Cass asked in shock, breathing out hard.

Nic smiled at her like nothing was amiss. "Hi," she said like it hadn't been a month since they'd last spoken, like neither of them hadn't called or emailed or anything, like it wasn't the middle of the night. "I didn't want to wake you, so I let myself in." She waved her fingers through the air as she grinned impishly.

Cass scrubbed her hand through her hair as she flipped on the kitchen light. Under the bright glow, Nic looked thinner, more tired than she had when Cass had last seen her. "What are you doing here?" she blurted out.

Nic winced, lightning fast, but Cass saw it. "I just wanted to see my best friend," she said lightly. Cass raised one eyebrow as she took the container of orange juice out of Nic's hand and took a swig straight from the bottle. "Ew," Nic said, her nose wrinkling. "That's gross, I was going to drink that."

Cass crushed the empty and lobbed it into the sink. "Let's try that again," she said, enunciating each word with care. "I am overjoyed to see you, but why are you sneaking into my apartment at two in the morning?"

Nic's calm mask faltered. "I missed you," she admitted, staring at her hands. "And us, y'know, and I was thinking about all that we did. That I did." Cass felt her eyes start to burn. She tried to speak, but the words dried up in her throat. "I...I was just lying awake," Nic continued, reaching out with a fingertip to push the magnets around on the fridge door. "Wishing we could all just go back to the way it was, and..." she shrugged, and Cass pulled her in. "And I went for a drive and ended up here," Nic mumbled into Cass's t-shirt. "So," under her touch, she felt Nic shrug. "Here I am."

Cass smiled at the faint echo of Nic's familiar cheer, and stroked Nic's dark hair. "You didn't need an excuse," she murmured.

Nic stiffened, then sighed and relaxed bodily against Cass. "Busted, huh?"

Cass let that one slide. "I missed you too." She tucked Nic in against her side as she tugged the freezer door open with her pinky finger. "I've got vanilla or chunky monkey."

"Duh," Nic said with a laugh. "Gimme the monkey." Two spoons floated up off the drainer and followed them into the living room.

* * *

Cass woke up on the sofa with an ice cream hangover and Nic sprawled over her chest, their legs tangled together. Cass closed her eyes and breathed deeply, her nose filling with the scent of of Nic's hair.

 _Oh,_ said a tiny voice in her head as the metaphorical lightbulb went off, and for a few minutes Cass had to focus on just breathing as the enormity of it hit her. She looked down and brushed a dark strand of hair off Nic's cheek. Maybe this was something they needed to talk about. Maybe it was just her. But Nic was snoring softly, soft and warm in her arms, and she was comfortable. She went back to sleep instead, and slept through until dawn.

When she woke up, she was alone. There was a note on the refridgerator door, a little postcard from the night before: _late for work. pizza, my place, saturday? ♥ Nic_.

Cass stared at the little heart for a long time, then went to fetch her guitar.

* * *

(Jersey listened to her sing the demo, nodding along. "It's good, who's it about?" he asked with a sly little look.

"No one in particular," Cass lied.

Jersey's smile faded. "Okay," he says, touching her shoulder as he walks over to pick up his guitar. "That bit about Hollywood endings, sing that again. I've got an idea for the bass line there."

Cass doesn't plan on giving Nic the link to the pre-release. Twenty minutes after she retweets the band announcement, Nic texted her a heart. Something in Cass's chest unknotted itself and she walked around grinning for the rest of the day.)

* * *

Cass grinned at the name on the screen, and walked a little deeper into the wings as she connected the call. "Hey you."

"Hihihi," Nic babbled down the line. "What time are you playing today?"

Cass blinked. "2pm. Altec Lansing." She frowned at the familiar echoes in the background of the call. "Nic, where are you?"

Nic was giggling excitedly. "Heading to your stage now. Did you think I was going to miss your big moment?"

Cass gasped for a second, the nervous laugh exploding out of her as she turned towards the front of stage. "Oh, I wish you hadn't told me that _before_ I went on."

Nic's giggle turned evil. "And Kevin's in Chicago with Mike, and I have strict orders to phone in some of the concert for them."

The air backstage was hot and hard to breathe. "You're evil, I hate you."

"No you don't," Nic said with airy confidence. "You love me."

"Yeah," Cass said, too serious to laugh off later. "I do."

For a long second, there was silence down the line. Cass screwed her eyes up, barely daring to breath. "Good to know," Nic finally said, so quietly Cass had to strain to hear over the noise of tour. "That...that's good to know."

Cass' cheeks hurt from smiling. "Meet me after?"

"I'll be there," Nic promised.

Cass was laughing as she hung up.

* * *

There were too many people around to talk freely, but Nic stepped into Cass's open arms without hesitation, pressing them cheek to cheek. Cass felt the the sense of presence she now associated with Nic's telepathy, followed by a deep, comfortable warmth that made her toes tingle.

'I really do,' Cass thought at Nic with all her might. Nic hugged her tighter and Cass knew she'd heard.

* * *

Layover days on tour were heaven, especially after nearly twelve straight performing days without a break. But a layover day on Warped that overlapped with the layover day on the KISS tour saw Cass opening her hotel room door to a beaming Kevin and Mike. Kevin barely waited for the door to close before he was pulling her into a hug, almost lifting her off her feet as he squeezed the air out of her lungs.

"Let her breathe, geez, KJ," Mike said behind him, laughter threading through his voice. But he hugged her just as hard when Kevin finally let her go.

And suddenly it was like nothing had changed; they ordered in pizza, and Kevin surprised the delivery girl by answering the door. "You realize that's going to be all over the internet within an hour," Mike told him as he wound a string of cheese around his finger.

Kevin shrugged. "Everyone knows Nic's being a total Warped groupie," he said like that was an explanation.

Maybe it was, the way Nic was grinning. "We'll take a twitpic from the moshpit tomorrow and really freak people out," she giggled, showing teeth. Mike caught Cass's eye and made a face, making Cass laugh.

(She hadn't realized how much she had missed these idiots until she had them back.)

Later on they sprawled on the carpet under the window, looking up at the gathering dusk as the sky changed from blue to black. Cassadee tilted her head back to watch as the first stars came out, feeling the warmth pooling where her arm rubbed up against Nic's. "Do you still go flying," she asked suddenly.

Mike quietly shrugged, not moving from where he was lying with his head in Kevin's lap. "Sometimes. Not since we started touring again."

Nic rolled over onto her belly, holding herself up on her elbows to study Cassadee's face. "You okay?" she asked gently.

Cass shrugged, her t-shirt making a grating noise as it rubbed against the coarse carpet. "Just...it's nothing." She felt the soft wave of air pressure against her bare arms as Nic gave her a gentle telekinetic shove. Cass squirmed on the carpet, half-rolling away so Nic couldn't see her face anymore. But that put her in range of Kevin's ridiculous monkey-feet, and she had to roll back with a grimace as he poked her cheek with his big toe. "Gah," she pouted, batting them away. "Change your socks or something, sheesh."

Kevin just pushed his feet back into her face. "Not until you tell us what's wrong," he threatened.

Cass rolled onto her knees and let her momentum carry her over until she was slumped against the side of the bed, well out of range of Kevin's evil feet. "You're a bastard," she said without heat as Nic shuffled around to sit next to her. "How the world hasn't discovered this already is a mystery," she told him sternly. But it was hard to keep a straight face when Nic was giggling and even Mike was grinning.

"Uh uh," Kevin cautioned. He even waggled his _toes_ at her. (And they were seriously giving her the creeps now, all bendy and dexterous, and she now had an opinion on a Jonas Brothers' feet. Her life was officially weird.) "I'm the sweet, dorky one. Tell her, Mike."

Mike just sniggered. "You really think I could say that with a straight face. Besides," he added, fixing Cass with a look that ripped right through her fragile defenses. "Cass still hasn't told us what's up yet."

She shrugged, hating the feel of their eyes on her. "I just kind of wish I had a way of...I don't know, practicing? Playing with my power, getting used to it." She squirmed a little on the spot. "I spent fifteen years trying not to be strong," she admitted quietly, slowly finding words to fit around what she was feeling. "And, well, I guess maybe I just got used to having a place where I didn't have to hold back." She bit her lip and dared to look up at them. "I just miss that, I guess."

"Oh sweetie," Nic murmured, tugging Cass over until Cass was slumped bonelessly against her. Even though it felt a bit too much like wallowing for her tastes, Cass gave herself a moment to just enjoy the feel of Nic patting her hair, stroking her neck. A tension she hadn't even known she'd been carrying started to release, and Cass felt a heavy kind of lassitude sink under her skin. Cass blinked and sat up, breaking the contact. Instantly, the feeling of sleepy, peaceful heaviness subsided.

"Were you putting your mojo on me?" she demanded.

Nic winced but tried to smile. "Maybe a little. Sorry, I didn't mean to," she apologized as Cass sat up straighter. "I'm not very good with that, sometimes I think it has a mind of its own."

Across the floor, Mike sniggered. For a second, Cass had forgotten the boys were still there. "Your _telepathy_ has a _mind_ of its own?" he asked heavily.

Cass blinked, and burst out laughing. Nic blushed, but she was smiling properly again. "Yeah, really, I'm sorry. I just want to help."

Cass rolled her neck, lacing her fingers together and pushing out until her shoulders clicked. "I know. And I'm okay, really." She relaxed, pausing as she realized Nic had fallen silent and was watching her with a speculative gleam. "What?"

Nic shuffled over onto her knees and stood up. "Can I try something." Barely waiting for Cass' little nod, she stepped into the middle of the small patch of clear space on the floor. "Lie down on your back here," she ordered.

Mike was smirking as Kevin raised his hand. "Do you want us to go?" he asked, only half-teasing.

Nic was biting her lip speculatively as Cass gingerly laid down. "No, I might need you to catch me if this goes wrong," she said bluntly. "Okay, you," she said, pointing at Cass as she delicately place her feet on either side of Cass's hips. "Are going to push up."

"And what are you going to do," Cass asked, hoping her blush wasn't as hot as it felt.

Nic smirked down. "I'm going to push back. Come on, knees up here, and hands..."

"Oh," Kevin said brightly. Cass thought he also sounded a little relieved. "Superman!"

"What?" Cass asked blankly as Nic caught her wrists and brought their palms together, fingers intertwined.

"We used to do these in gymnastics all the time. You need to hold her weight..." Cass couldn't see, but she heard him move around to take her ankles and push them up. "Here, let her rest her hips on your knees, and hold up. Like she's flying."

"Oh!" Cass said, suddenly getting it. She wiggled on the carpet, resettling her weight and boosting Nic up to hold her parallel to the floor. "Easy, you weigh, what, five pounds?"

Above her, Nic poked out her tongue and started getting heavier, and heavier. "Okay?" Nic asked, a look of concentration on her face as her hands flexed and renewed their grip against Cass's palms.

"Yeah," Cass said, starting to actually feel like she was having to work to hold Nic up. "What are you doing?"

"Little forcefield bubble trick I've been working on," she said, breathing hard but evenly.

Above Nic, Cass saw Mike approach cautiously, one finger outstretched. His eyes widened as he tapped and pushed against the resistance in thin air. "Awesome," he declared. "That is fucking amazing, Nic."

Cass grinned. "Can I try?" Not waiting for a response, she pushed up, tossing Nic a foot in the air. The hairs on the back of her arms tingled as the force bubble Nic was projecting passed over them. As gravity tried to reclaim Nic, Cass felt the edge of the bubble on her palms, heavy and tingling. She spread her fingers wide, and even though her eyes were telling her there was nothing there, her fingers could feel something simultaneously staticky and springy pressing down. Floating in her bubble, Nic was beaming. Cass flexed her arms, making the bubble bounce slightly and Nic squealed.

Kevin was sitting, legs crossed, on the bed. "You guys should see this," he laughed, sounding awed. "It looks incredible."

Nic started laughing, and Cass's only warning was in the ticklish buzz against her hands as the bubble fritzed out before Nic was dropping into her arms. After the pressures Nic had been generating, Nic's body felt light and warm against her own. Cass hugged Nic, and Nic hugged back just as hard.

"We are so doing that again," Nic whispered against Cass' neck, and Cass had to agree.

* * *

Cass drained the last of her water and sighed. It was too fucking hot to move. Even the merch tent was stifling, the shade no relief to the vicious, cloying heat. She laid back, head resting on her hands, and watched Mike and Jersey flick a bottle cap back and forth across the table. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she tugged it out with sweat-slicked fingers, smiling at the picture of Pete mugging for the camera on the call screen. "Hey you," she said. "Why aren't you out here broiling with the rest of us?"

"Cassadee?" an unexpectedly female voice said. "It's Ashlee. Thank god I got through to you," she sighed, her voice shaking slightly. "Mike and KJ aren't answering, and Nic's goes straight to voicemail. Please tell me she's with you."

Cass pushed herself up into a sitting position. "No. Ash? What's wrong?"

Jersey looked over, a little frown of concern making his forehead wrinkle. Cass nodded as she stood, pointing her her phone with her free hand, and they nodded back as she walked past them and out the back flap of the tents. They probably thought it was her sister, and Cass was happy to let them continue to believe that. "It's...I....where are you?" Ashlee snaps.

Cass glanced over her shoulder to make sure none of her boys had followed her. "Behind our merch tent. Why?"

Ashlee's voice sounded tense. "Is there anywhere on tour where they're stacking gear crates on white gravel?" she asked.

Cass blinked. "What? No, wait, yes. The lot where the vans are, there's a bit on one side with white gravel. Why?"

"You need to get over there, now." Cass turned and started walking as Ashlee continued to talk. "I wish the others were with you."

Cass glanced around, but no-one was paying her any attention. "What did you see?" she asked softly and cautiously.

"Someone dying," Ashlee said so flatly it took a second for Cass to comprehend what her words meant. Ashlee didn't wait for her to catch up. "He's tall," she said quickly, her voice sounding strained. "Really skinny, scene kid. A tech, maybe one of the smaller bands, I didn't recognize him. I just...Cass, he can't die. I don't have time to explain, he just can't die. Run, go, now. I'll try to find the others."

"But..." Cass said, lengthening her stride.

There was an explosive gasp, a pained little whimper. "Cass, for fuck's sake, GO! NOW!"

Cass ran.

* * *


	3. a little bit more than you can take 3/3

The gravel bit through the thin rubber soles of her sneakers as she skidded into the lot. A few burly techs were lugging what looked like the last of a drum kit towards the stage, but otherwise the place was surprisingly deserted. She could hear the roar of the tour, just beyond the buses, but the small patch between gravel and sky seemed cut off from the rest of the world.

Unbidden, Cass's hand came up to touch the bare skin on the side of her temple; she had no mask, no secret identity to hide behind, no backup. Just Ashlee's warning ringing in her ears and adrenaline pumping through her veins. She moved before the sound fully registered, skidding around the side of one of the smaller vans that ringed the space. Time seemed to slow as she took in the scene: a skinny kid in tight black jeans, on his knees in the dirt, tears staining his cheeks as he held up his hands in warding against the two big guys looming over him. "Please," the kid whimpered. "What did I do?" His voice was shaking, his cheeks wet with tears as he looked up at his attackers.

Cass was already moving as one of the big guys flexed a fist. "It's what you're going to do," he said cryptically, pulling back his arm to strike.

Cassadee was on him, grabbing the guys wrist at the maximum extension. All it took was a little tug and bruiser number one went tumbling backwards. His buddy was still looking at the kid, had barely started to turn before Cassadee rabbit-punched him in the kidneys hard enough to make the floating rib crack and pop. She let herself go with the motion, the twist in her hips carrying her arm across to grab the guy's far shoulder. Even as she grabbed and pulled down, her sneaker-clad foot jabbed out and kicked clear through the back of his knee. The tendons twanged like broken guitar strings and he collapsed in a screaming heap.

Cass spun on the spot, kicking up gravel as she tapped down on her toes and swung a round house kick at the first guy just as he was getting up. She wasn't really aiming for anywhere, but her toes were pointed as her kick connected with the fleshy side of his neck. Time seemed to slow as his entire body arched around the point of contact. He collapsed and didn't get up.

The sound of feet on gravel made her head snap around, fists bunched. She relaxed with a smile as Nic skidded around the corner, her sprint slowing to a jog as she took in the scene. Cass straightened from her defensive hunch and took two steps over to the kid, nodding meaningful at Nic as she came to a halt on the kids other side. "I got A- her messages," Nic said over his head, correcting herself just in time. "This him?"

Cass nodded. "Do you know who he is?"

Nic shook her head and knelt down. "Hey," she said gently, reaching out. He flinched at the touch of her fingers. "Shh, it's okay, you're safe now."

He curled himself up tighter, unheeding of the way the gravel was scraping against bare skin. "You're...you..." he whispered, voice trembling. "Please don't hurt me," he said so quietly that Cass could barely understand him.

They couldn't just leave him and run, but the longer they stayed, the greater the chance of someone coming along, and what possible story could she spin to explain this? "Come on," she said intently. "We need to go." But the kid seemed unable to hear her, locked in his own little mental loop of terror. Cass looked at Nic, all out of ideas.

Nic sighed and laid her hand lightly over his temple as she closed her eyes. Her nose wrinkled in concentration, and the kid sighed as every muscle in his body went slack. "There," Nic said, sounding a little shaky herself. "He's out, and I think I've mussed up his memories enough. If we say heat exhaustion, maybe he'll just write off what he does remember as a hallucination or something."

Cass nodded, never taking her eyes off Nic's face. She'd known Nic long enough to know her tells. "What aren't you telling me?" she asked softly.

Nic opened her eyes but didn't look directly at Cass. "Later," she promised. She glanced down at the nearest bruiser laid out in the dirt. He was curled up around his shattered knee, whimpering softly in pain. "What about these guys?" Cass moved as Nic went over and knelt on one knee beside his head. "Who are you?" she asked softly but with a strange kind of authority as she cupped his chin and studied his face.

The guy moved slowly, in obvious pain. He bared his teeth as his eyes focused on her. "We're the ones coming for you," he snarled. Cass gasped, choking on her warning as a knife appeared as if by magic in the guys hand. The arc of his swing seemed to take an eternity, the knife blade catching the sunlight as it descended, heading straight for Nic's heart.

Nic stared at the knife, frozen, unmoving.

Cass reacted, her sneakered foot flashing out, the heel intersecting with the guy's wrist, sending the knife flying away, skidding harmlessly across the gravel. Cass shifted her centre of gravity as she twisted, the gravel biting into her palms as she pushed down on her hands for balance as she reversed the motion of her foot and brought her heel down against the guy's ribcage hard enough to shatter bone. She heard a wet gasp and the guy flopped back onto the ground like his strings were cut.

"Nic," Cass managed as she sprang out of her crouch, half crawling on her hands and feet until she got traction enough to close the tiny distance between them. She grabbed Nic's shoulders, and only then did Nic react, startling and flinching backwards. "Are you okay?"

Nic nodded slowly, eyes bright. "Yeah, he just...he..." she looked away, shaking her head, rubbing at her eye with the heel of her right palm, like she was trying to scrub something out of her head. "Give me a minute, okay?"

Cass nodded, but didn't let Nic go, turning her around like a waltz until she was standing between Nic and the two attackers.

At their feet, the second attacker made a wet, rattling noise and went silent. Nic flinched slightly, but her voice was steady as she pulled away from Cass. "Did he just..?"

Cass blinked, and reached down to gently hold her fingers against the pulse point in his throat. Nothing. "I didn't hit him that hard," Cass whispered in shock as she skittered on her heels to spin around to where the other attacker lay. She didn't need to try and find a pulse. No living person's neck bent like that. "Holy shit," she breathed, borderline hysterical. She thought she was going to throw up.

The gravel squeaked and rubbed as Nic stood up, phone in hand. "Hey," she said to whoever she called. "Did she - Yeah...hurry," she said softly. "We need you." She thumbed the phone off as she stepped over the kid's still-sleeping body and engulfed Cassadee in a hug.

Cass didn't dare hug her back for a long time. Slowly, tentatively, she let her arms drift around Nic's middle and hugged her back, mindful of how delicate Nic felt under her hands. "I didn't mean," she mumbled into Nic's ear. "I just didn't...they were going to kill you, Nic. And him too."

Nic pulled back just far enough to study Cass's face. Nimble fingers brushed a lock of hair out of Cass' eyes. "Are you going to be okay?"

Cass exhaled softly and let herself think. Strangely, the deep panic or disgust she was expecting to find wasn't there. She blinked, feeling her forehead scrunch up. "Yeah," she said softly, sounding surprised even to her own ears. "I think..." she let her eyes drift over to the two corpses. "They were going to kill him," she said flatly.

Nic nodded. "Or worse," she added so quietly that Cass wasn't sure she'd heard right. But before she could chase after that cryptic comment, Nic was looking over her shoulder, pulling away, striding towards the end of the row. "Boys," she called out.

Kevin and Mike appeared from around the back of a trailer and jogged towards them. "Hey, there you are...woah," Mike said, taking in the scene. He looked at Cass and Nic, the way they were pressing into each other. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.

She nodded briskly, but it was Nic who answered. "We need to talk, but first we need to clean up. We can take the kid to first aid, heatstroke or something. But what about them? We can't lug them out in broad daylight."

Kevin laughed softly and without humour. "Friends help you move," he said with feigned lightness. He dusted his hands together as he walked for a forced step over to the bodies. "I got this one." He knelt down by the first guy and tentatively checked his vitals. "Making sure," he said, catching them watching him. "After...last time, I've kinda been thinking about what we could do in situations like this. You know, worst cases and all." He took a deep breath and put his hands on the guys' shoulder and hip. He exhaled in one long stream as he _pushed_ the body down into the ground up to his own shoulders. He sucked in another breath, eyes tight in concentration, as he pulled back up empty-handed. It only took seconds for him to repeat the trick on the second corpse. Kevin stood up and brushed the dirt off his knees. "Six feet under without digging," he said with a little shrug without looking at any of them.

Mike was staring, jaw wide open. "Should I be worried you actually thought about this and managed to dream that up?" he asked in shock.

Kevin shrugged again, looking uncomfortable. "I...I used to have nightmares about falling through the ground and not being able to crawl back up." He turned and glanced back at the unmarked ground. "I just put two and two together."

Mike caught him by the waist as he turned back and pulled him into a silent, full body hug. Cass turned away so she didn't have to see the way Kevin's hands fisted the back of Mike's shirt. Nic caught her eye and nodded at the kid, still out of it on the ground. Cass picked him up easily, and Nic slid under the kid's other arm. "For the look of it; a girl shouldn't be able to carry a guy, remember?" she said with a roll of her eyes, and Cass had to choke back a giggle that tasted of hysteria.

Kevin cleared his throat. "We're not meant to be here, either of us," Kevin said.

"We need to talk," Nic told him.

Cass nodded at Kevin. "Try our bus, should be empty this time of day."

"We'll go drop off sleeping beauty here," Nic finished.

Mike nodded, leaning back around a van. "And we'll call Ash. Okay, coast is clear. Let's go."

* * *

(Cass was looking for it, so she saw the way Nic casually brushed her fingers over the kid's temple as they lowered him into onto a fold out bed in the first aid tent. His eyelashes fluttered, and he flailed weakly. Nic and Cass made their escape before anyone asked them any questions. If Nic hooked her pinky finger into Cass's briefly as they left, no-one else noticed.)

* * *

They didn't talk all the way back to her bus. Cass punched in her door code without looking around, wasn't surprised to find Mike and Kevin sprawled together despite the heat in the back lounge. "No problems?" she asked, turning away to dig through the tiny fridge for something cold to wash the taste of dust out of her mouth.

"Nah," Mike said. "You ready to tell us what happened?"

Cass wasn't ready, might never be ready, but they needed to know. She needed them to know. They sat in silence, waiting patiently through every hesitation as Cassadee struggled to put words around it. Nicole caught her hand as Cass stuttered over the fight, almost unable to reconcile memories and bodies on the ground. Cass squeezed her fingers gratefully without looking up and continued on until the story was told.

There was a moment of silence, punctuated by the faint noises of the tour in the distance. Then Kevin reached over and laid his hand over Cass and Nic's, Mike's touch a second behind that. Cass closed her eyes as a single tear slipped down her face, and laid her free hand on top.

* * *

(They didn't sing the new song that day. None of the boys dared ask her why. Cass just scrubbed it off the playlist with her eyeliner pencil until the words were obliterated and the pencil was reduced to kohl dust and splinters in her fist.)

* * *

Ashlee called her as she was curled in her bunk with the curtain firmly drawn. "You okay?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," Cass said, mindful of her boys just down the passage, no doubt listening shamelessly to her talk. "I'll deal."

There was the whispery sound of a sigh. "I wish you didn't have to, Cass. I truly wish that." There was a pause, just the sound of their breathing loud on the line. "And I'm sorry," she added heavily.

Cass closed her eyes, hating feeling pitied. "Not your fault."

This pause was heavy. "I foresaw death, Cass. I didn't know whose, but I knew someone was going to die. And I sent you in there anyway."

Cass picked at the edge of the frame of the bunk, where the laminate had peeled away. The particle board shattered to dust under her fingernail. "And if you didn't, that kid would have..." she remembered her audience beyond the curtain just in time. "You know."

"Yeah," Ash said heavily, and once again Cass wondered what it must be like to have every potential outcome, every possible future, running through your head.

"Who was he?"

There was a rustling of fabric, and Cass wondered vaguely where Ashlee was. "He's important. The details haven't settled yet, he's got a lot of choices still to make. But he's alive to make them, thanks to you."

Cass ignored the attempt to ease her conscience. "And the other two?"

Ash snorted. "Is the entire bus eavesdropping?"

"Yeah," Cass said as she rolled onto her back. "Pretty much."

"We probably shouldn't be talking about this on cellphones anyway." Cass made a face at the ceiling of her bunk at the not-so-subtle reminder of their status. "I'll keep digging, you stay out of trouble, okay?"

"Yes, Mom," Cass shot back sarcastically.

Ash just laughed happily. "Sleep well, sweetheart."

Cass turned off the phone and tried to settle herself. She doubted, between the heat and the memories playing on loop in her brain, that she'd be able to do more than doze.

She didn't hear the boys come to bed.

* * *

(In her dreams, the gravel made no sound under her feet. There was no one around to see her walk slowly towards the two patches of flowers, daffodils and daisies, growing incongruously in the middle of the lot. She approached cautiously, and caught one of the blooms that was swaying in the still air. When she touched it, it turned into a rose, petals still furled into a bud. She spun silently on the spot as a shadow passed over her, but there was no one there. When she looked back, the daisies were gone and the rose in her hand had bloomed. Each velvety petal was a simple, soft pink, so pale it was almost white. She brought the flower to her nose and inhaled its sweet, subtle fragrance.

She woke to the sound of Mike and Jersey banging sleepily around the kitchenette with the scent of the rose still fresh in her senses and an abiding sense of calm.)

* * *

The day sheet was relatively light for once, and Cass stumbled through the interviews before the show on automatic, grateful once again that her boys could read her mood even if they didn't know the reason behind it. Even so, it was a relief to walk off the bus and into the bright summer's sun. She picked a direction at random, letting the movement of the crowd push and pull her around the venue.

She barely had warning before Nic was plastering herself against Cass's back, arms wrapping around in a hug. She let go quickly in the sweltering heat, but fell into step beside Cass, close enough that their arms touched with each step. "Hey you," she said breezily, eyes tight. "Sleep well?"

Cass nodded as she brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Actually, I did," she said, surprise creeping into her tone. "Weird dreams though," she admitted.

Nic was watching her intently. "Must have been the night for it. Good weird or bad weird."

Cass turned them down a slightly less busy alley between tents and trailers, heading away from the noise of the music. "Good weird," she decided at length. "But definitely weird."

Nic's face was unreadable as Cass described the flowers. "Forgiveness, innocence, gratitude," she said to herself.

"What?"

Nic took a deep breath. "Forgiveness, innocence and gratitude," she repeated. "That's what those flowers mean."

Cass' brow furrowed. "I didn't...I mean, I know flowers have meaning, but I didn't know their exact meaning, if you get what I mean." She stopped and stared at nothing for a moment, trying to marshall her thoughts. "There was something else. A shadow, a presence. In my dream." She bit her lip pensively. "But not from my dream," she decided at last. "It's like when you..." she glanced around, but nobody was paying them any attention. "Do that thing you do," she finished cryptically, waggling her fingers.

Nic looked surprised. "Don't look at me," she protested. "I need direct contact, and I've never...you know, into someone's dreams."

Cass closed her eyes. "If not you, then who?"

She felt Nic's hand slip into hers. "Whoever they were,' Nic murmured. "I think they said it with flowers."

Cass opened her eyes. "Forgiveness, innocence and gratitude."

* * *

(She texts Ashlee to ask if she knows anything about it. There's nothing all day, but just before she falls asleep, she finds a message from Ash on her phone: _maybe, something._

_good something or ohshit we're all gonna die something._

_good. def. good. just don't ask for details yet. it's still all undecided._

Cass decided she could live with that, too)

* * *

The scariest thing about life After (it had earned it's capitalization), was how not-different it was. She could go hours, then days without thinking of it. Then Jersey would bite on a corn chip, and it would make the same sound as bone snapping, or Mike would be playing Halo and Cassadee would have to go sit in the tiny bathroom on the bus and shove her fingers into her ears to block out the digital screams of the virtual dying.

She almost didn't want to ask, but she needed to know. Nic picked up on the first ring. "Hey, sweetie," she said down the line, thousands of miles away back in California.

"How do you deal?" The words just blurted out, the pressure that had been building all day finally finding release. "Day by day, I mean."

Nic didn't bullshit her or pretend not to understand, and Cass felt her heart squeeze with a different emotion. "How bad?" she asked seriously.

"That's just it," Cass all but wailed, staring down the corridor of the bus so she would know as soon as the boys returned. "It's not. I mean, not all the time. Sometimes, it just hits me, and I have to, you know, go cry or throw up or whatever, but...I forget sometimes," she admitted in a whisper. "How the fuck can I forget _that?_ "

She heard movement down the line, and the sound softened. "Maybe," Nic said quietly. "You have to forget so you can go on." Cass said nothing, watching the cheap veneer crackle and warp under her fingers. "And you have to go on," Nic added firmly.

Cass sighed and forced her fingers to relax. "How is that fair?" The question just slipped out before she could stop it.

Nic laughed, an explosive, humourless bark of sound that echoed harshly out of the speakers. "Fuck fair," she said with unexpected venom. "We didn't go hunting down some poor defenseless kid. We didn't take people hostage. We didn't pull out a gun and start shooting. We may have ended it, but we didn't cause it."

And as much as Cass hated it, there was a kind of sense there. She just had to let herself believe it.

Nic stayed on the line as Cass broke down and cried over them for the last time.

* * *

Cass didn't want to think about how many favours Nic and Kevin must have cashed in to appear at the bottom of the bus steps for the last day of _Warped_. If she was perfectly honest with herself, she really didn't care. She flung herself gleefully at them, hugging Nic and then Kevin until their bones creaked.

Nic was beaming. "You'd almost think she missed us," she said teasingly to Kevin, who played along with a big goofy grin.

"I know," he said, dragging out the words. "Will miracles never cease. Come on," he added, taking them both by the hand. "You two Warped pros can take pity on poor little me and show me around." Cass laughed, but she was almost skipping as they dove into the crowds backstage.

In the end, Cass was almost late to stage. Mike nudged her as they were preparing to go on. "Is that a _Jonas_?" he whispered loudly, staring blatantly at Kevin

Cass just smiled breezily. "He's a close personal friend," she said casually, walking out onto the stage before he could respond. When she sang 'Wish You Were Here,' she looked over and saw them both singing along from the wings.

 

* * *

(Cass hadn't really gone back to the fansite forum since the day Nic had sent her the link. Digging through her emails, looking for a photo her sister had sent her, she came across the message again. Clicking it, she saw they were still discussing the first death, that horrible day she had been shot.

Her heart squeezed, but she didn't immediately want to close the laptop, or run to throw up. If this was how it was going to be now, well, she could live with that.)

* * *

Cass watched with nervous eyes as Jersey start to pull away from the band , unsure of what to do. She lay in her bunk, fiddling with her phone, staring at the message Mike had sent her: _talk to him. just know if he's your friend or your bassist first_.

Taking a deep breath, she slipped out of her bunk and went to find her friend. He was sitting in the back lounge, staring at nothing. "Hey," she said, hanging by the door, unsure if he'd welcome her company.

But he turned and smiled at her, and Cass smiled back and sat down opposite him. "You okay?" she asked, leaning in as Jersey's smile died and he looked away. She might not be able to fix this, but she could maybe lend him some of her strength. She held out her hand, and Jersey took it and started to talk.

* * *

(Returning to Florida felt like returning to the past. Cassadee stared out the window from the airport to her parents home, stunned at how alien the familiar landscapes were to her now. Her mother hugged her for a long, long time before pulling back to stare at her, and Cass wondered if they'd put the obvious pieces together. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

Cassadee smiled and nodded. "I'm fine, Momma," she said, and it almost tasted like the truth.)

* * *

Cassadee adjusted her sunglasses and wondered when LA started to became 'home' too. She had a day or two to herself before things got busy again, and she knew exactly where her first port of call was.

Ashlee greeted her at the door with a hug, smelling of sweet shampoo and baby powder. "Come in," she said easily, like Cass hadn't just turn up on her doorstep unannounced, ushering Cassadee through to the kitchen. "Pete's doing band things, and Bronx just went down for his nap, so it's just us."

There were cookies cooling on a rack on the counter. Ashlee blushed under Cassadee's look, and ran her fingers through her hair. "I saw you were coming, and it seemed like a cookies kind of chat."

Cassadee turned away and busied herself with hanging her bag on the back of a chair. Apart from that horrible afternoon, white gravel and a teenaged boy, this was the only time Ash herself had made any reference to her ability in front of Cass. Cassadee sighed as Ashlee gently touched her shoulder. "Sit down," she said softly. "We really should have talked sooner."

"You saw all that, huh," Cass said, trying to keep her voice light. "Lemme guess, you're a mindreader too."

Ashlee laughed and shook her head as she put a steaming mug down on the table in front of Cassadee. Cass looked up, smiling in thanks, though her smile turned into a confused frown as Ashlee brought a third mug to the table. Before Cass could ask, there was a rat-a-tat knock at the door, followed by the loud click of the lock being turned. Ashlee didn't look surprised. "Come in," she yelled, dry sarcasm colouring her tone.

"Don't mind if I do," Nic's cheery voice carried down the hall.

Cassadee raised an eyebrow. "Foresaw that too, huh?"

"No," Ash winked. "She called ahead."

Nic all but skipped into the kitchen, her hand trailing across Cass's shoulders for a second as she came around and plopped into the chair between her and Ashlee. "Did I miss anything?"

Ashlee smiled warmly at her. "Right on time," she reassured her as she leaned forward to claim a cookie. An awkward silence filled the kitchen, broken only by the _crunchcrunchcrunch_ as Ashlee ate her cookie, grinning at them.

"What?" Cass finally broke down and demanded.

Ashlee just grinned wider as she licked her fingers, one by one. "Nothing," she said, faux-sweet and smirking as her eyes moved from Cass to Nic and back again. "Nothing at all."

Nic made a disgruntled noise before Cass could press Ash for more. "Can I be blunt then and cut straight to business," she said, leaning forward to balance her forearms against the edge of the table. "What's going to happen?"

Ashlee made a face. "You make it sound like I can see the future," she said ruefully.

"Can't you?" Cass blurted.

Ashlee paused, marshaling her thoughts before answering. "I don't _see_ the future, not really," she finally said, dragging out each word. "I...I just know." She shrugged. "Like, when you hear a bum note, you might not be able to name the exact note and what's wrong with it, but you know that it's wrong and how to fix it. Sometimes there's pictures, but they're usually pretty useless."

Cass took a deep breath. "But...that boy, on tour, the white gravel. You saw that."

Ashlee looked pained for a moment. "That was different." She took another deep breath, her finger twisting her wedding ring. "I've been thinking about that," she added quickly. "And I think, I mean, I'm not sure, but I think-" she looked up at them. "I don't think I 'saw' forward. I think someone sent a memory _back_."

Cass struggled, trying to grasp that, as Nic's hand flew to her mouth. "Is that even possible?" Nic asked.

Ashlee laughed, a sharp, twisted sound. "I know the future, you can move things without touching them, and Cass here could powerlift my car. We're redefining what's possible just by being here."

Cass had closed her eyes. "Was it like having a dream," she asked tentatively. "But knowing you weren't alone in that dream, that it wasn't just yours alone?"

She heard Ash's sharp intake of breath. "Cass?"

"After the...with the white gravel," she stuttered, never opening her eyes. "I had this dream." Haltingly, with Nic murmuring encouragement, she retold the story of the flowers.

Ashlee sat back, the chair creaking as she shifted her weight. "Possibly," she admitted at last. "We just don't know enough yet."

"After all," Nic added. "We really don't know how many people like us are out there, do we." She snorted under her breath. "It's not like there's a Facebook fan page or anything."

"Yes there is." Cass sat up as the idea hit her. "Well, a website that's a fan page, anyway." She looked between Nic and Ashlee. "Hey," she added defensively. "If that had been around when I was a kid, I'd be hitting that page every day. Just knowing that I wasn't alone, wasn't a complete freak, would be..." she shook her head, unable to frame the enormity of it in words.

Ashlee was nodding slowly. "And if you were going to talk about it..."

Cass nodded, seeing that Ashlee was having the same idea. "Online, anonymous, among people who already accepted that it _was_ possible."

Nic pumped her fist. "Hooray for the internet. It gives us lolcats, and twitter, and superhero support!"

Cass laughed, the giggle bubbling up out of her. "What do we do?"

"Maybe," Ashlee said, leaning forward conspiratorially and with a quick little grin. "It might be worth thinking about having Twister and Valkyrie hit the forums."

Cass sat back as reality hit her. "No," she said sadly. "The police probably have the site monitored too." Her lips twisted up as her heart stuttered briefly. "We're notorious vigilantes, remember."

Ash grumbled under her breath. "Point," she acknowledged. "But there may be ways around that. Leave it with me."

Nic laughed suddenly. "Ash, are you becoming, like, the head of the superhero society or something. You're Superm- no, wait." Her eyes sparkled as she leaned forward. "You're _Alfred_!"

Cass giggled at the mental image as Ash rolled her eyes. But she was grinning too. "Thanks, Nic," she said dryly. Her smile faded. "Just...promise me you guys will look out for each other. We don't know how many people like us are out there, or what they can do. Just..." she fiddled with her empty mug. "Just be careful, okay."

* * *

Cass got off the plane from her whirlwind birthday trip home, still grinning. Her eyes widened as she spotted Nic lounging in the arrivals area, arms crossed, car keys dangling from her fingers. Cass adjusted course, barely hearing the grumbles of the businessman in the rumpled suit she cut off. Nic beamed the second she spotted Cass, pushing off the pillar she was leaning against to come forward and embrace Cass in a giant hug. "Happy birthday."

"Day too late," Cass teased her, finally pulling back. "But since you're awesome, I'll forgive you."

Nic smirked and tipped an imaginary hat. "Mighty kind of you," she drawled in an accent so atrocious Cass had to laugh.

They talked about nothing really, the weather, Cass' family, as they headed out to the parking garage. It wasn't until they were on the freeway that Nic turned the stereo down. "So," she said determinedly. "Are we ever going to talk about us? I mean," she added before Cass could even open her mouth, "Is there even an us?"

Cass grinned awkwardly, eyes on the dash. "Umm, yes?"

She dared to shoot a look sideways. Nic had one eye on the road, one on Cass, a wry expression on her face. "Well, that was enthusiastic," she said flatly.

Cass sucked air through her teeth as she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "Sorry," she apologized. "It's just...I do really like you." She bit her lip and studied Nic's profile.

Nic carefully kept her eyes on the road. "That sounds like a but coming."

"But," Cass agreed. "Things got a bit hectic there for a while." Nic snorted in agreement. "And I'll be touring for a while yet. But," Cass said again, heart thumping in her chest. "I do still really, _really_ like you." Her courage faltered, and she dropped her gaze. The tattoo on the back of the webbing of her thumb smirked upside down. "Do...do you still like me?"

Nic huffed a little laugh. "Well, _duh_ ," she said. She glanced sideways, and her smile softened into something a lot sweeter. "I really, really like you too, Cassadee."

Cass' insides fluttered and settled as Nic held out her hand and Cass took it before she squeezed as tightly as she dared.

* * *

Cass pushed off the hood of the rental as Nic and Mike walked out of San Juan airport and headed over to where she was waiting. "Whoever's idea this was," Nic said as she dropped her bag on the curb and stepped into Cass' waiting hug. "Is a genius! Tropical sun!" she added gleefully.

"It was a team effort," Cass told her, finally letting her go to give Mike a hug. "Any troubles getting away?"

Mike shook his head as he took Nic's bag. "Nope, apart from the guys talking about coming with."

"And I," Nic said as she claimed the passenger seat. "Just have to be back on set on Monday, so come on, let's get this party started."

"Kevin?" Mike asked as he climbed in the back.

"Doing interviews," Cass told him. "But he should be done by the time we get you guys checked in."

"We're not staying at the resort?" Nic asked curiously.

"Nah," Mike said dismissively, looking out the window. "Too easy for some fucking paparazzi to finally get a photo of us." He turned and leaned forward between the gap in the front seats. "So we have to slum it in a different hotel."

"And Kevin has to slip his handlers and sneak out to meet us," Cass added with a laugh.

Mike grinned and sat back. "Big Rob loves me," he said easily. "So that at least won't be a problem. Then we'll have four whole blissful days to ourselves."

Nic twisted in her seat. "I keep your secret from Chels, Nick, _and_ Joe, but you told Big Rob?" she said, a little accusingly.

Mike shrugged. "He had us made within days. Guy's a ninja." He shrugged again as Nic subsided in the front seat. "So what's the plan, Cassadee?"

Cass frowned at the Porto Rican traffic. "I don't know about you two, but my plan involves sun, margaritas and a poolside."

"Win," Mike grunted in approval.

"Motion carried," Nic added as she wound down her window.

* * *

By the time Kevin found them, they had already decamped to the poolside. Mike put down his beer and waved him over. Cass watched as Kevin dropped heavily onto the lounger by Mike's knees, their fingers discreetly tangling together, and wondered what it was like to constantly have to keep the fact that you were in love a secret. "All good?" she asked instead.

Kevin nodded, dragging his gaze off Mike. "I am a free man for the next forty-eight hours," he confirmed. He turned back to Mike. "Wanna, ah, help me unpack?" he said hopefully.

Mike was up like a shot, all but dragging Kevin to his feet. Kevin waved awkwardly before they disappeared into the hotel. Nic looked to Cass over her sunglasses. "Three guesses what they're doing, and the first two don't count."

Cassadee sniggered. "Still think it's hot?" At Nic's scandalized look, she sipped her drink with a smirk. "Don't you remember, at that bar that didn't check ID, and we all ordered shots? You got plastered and told me you thought they'd look hot." She laughed out loud as a rosy blush crossed Nic's tanned cheeks.

She should have known something was up when Nic started smirking. "You know what else I think would look hot," she said innocently. "You and I having sex. That'd be hot."

Cass nearly spat her drink over her lap. "We haven't even...well, anything," she said, hating the way her voice had gone squeaky.

"But why haven't we? Do you still want to?" Nic asked carefully, eyes hidden behind the blank lenses of her sunglasses.

"Yes," Cass said without hesitation, and was rewarded with a beaming smile. "I want everything. But maybe we could start with a kiss?"

"How romantic," Nic said teasingly, but she was still beaming. She swung her legs over the side of her lounger and leaned forward. Cassadee blushed but leaned in as well, trying to ignore the way her heart was hammering against her ribs.

A scream tore through the air, shattering the moment.

Nic huffed out, and Cass was so close she felt the faintest stirring of air. "Oh look," she said calmly as sirens started to wail. "They're playing our song."

* * *

Kevin shimmered into being in the middle of the previously-empty corridor as they raced up from the elevators. "It's a fire," he said without preamble. "We could see it from our room."

Nic tunelessly hummed a few bars of 'Burnin' Love.' "Do you have your-?" she asked, waving her fingers in front of her eyes.

Kevin nodded and tugged the scrap of fabric from his back pocket. "You?"

Cass grinned wolfishly. "Where do you think we're going? Mike?"

Kevin blushed. "He's, uh, trying to find his pants," he admitted.

Nic burst out laughing and grabbed Cass's hand. "We'll be one sec," she promised. Hand in hand, they bolted for their room, and Cass couldn't pull the smile from her face at how _right_ it all felt.

* * *

Kevin barely waited for the door to click shut behind them before he let the others go. Cass smiled as the familiar static sensation passed over her skin, and Nic shivered like a wet cat. They were all streaked with soot and smelled of ash and fire, and they were all buzzing with adrenaline. "And that," Mike said with quiet satisfaction as he caught up Kevin's hand again. "Is how you do that." He leaned into Kevin, who pushed back against him until their lips met for a quick kiss.

Cass turned away into Nic's open expression, and on an impulse reached over and wrapped her fingers around Nic's wrist. Nic's answering smile was blinding. She took half a step towards Cassadee. "So," she said pointedly, waiting until the boys finally, reluctantly, pulled apart. "What now? Are we staying put or getting out of here? I think people noticed this time when Mike flew up to that third story balcony, or when Cass lifted that girder by herself."

Mike shrugged, pulling Kevin against his chest and leaning his cheek against Kevin's soot-streaked hair. "Ten bucks says it will take them three days to get their story straight," he said, unconcerned.

"Besides," Kevin added, leaning back slightly. "Running usually implies you've got something to run from. And it would raise more questions than anything if I was to bail days before a concert."

"And thirdly," Mike pointed out reasonably. "As far as the hotel staff are concerned, we all came up from the pool hours ago and have been in our rooms ever since." He rubbed his hand up Kevin's arm and held out his dirty palm. "As long as we rinse out the showers so the cleaning staff can't find this, I think we'll be fine."

Cass glanced at Nic and grinned. "In that case, we're going back to our room," she said, pointing at the door joining their suites. "And leaving you here to, uh, scrub each others backs."

Kevin's bark of laughter followed them out.

* * *

Cass hadn't let go of Nic's wrist. She looked down at where her fingers were wrapped around skin, blinking when Nic reached over and caught up her other hand. "I just realized," she whispered. "That was the first time we, y'know," she looked up through her lashes. "Since that kid at Warped." Cass's eyes fluttered shut as she sucked in a big breath. Nic pulled on Cass's hands gently as she leaned in even closer. "How do you feel?" she added even more softly.

Cass opened her eyes, leaned in, and kissed her chastely, the barest contact of lips. "Good," she said, barely breaking contact. "Better than good. Right."

Nic made a noise of agreement and let go of Cass's hand to grab her by the neck and haul her into another kiss. Cassadee can't help but moan against the softness of Nic's lips, and the sweetness of her lip-gloss still lingering under the smell of the ash, and the way her fingers tighten in Cassadee's hair and the single overriding thought of: mine.

(She's not sure if it's her thought or Nic's, or both of theirs together. It didn't really matter either way.)

Cass just pulled Nic even closer and kissed her back.


End file.
